Weapons of the Weak-Field Studies on Claims to Social Justice in Bihar
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Weapons of the Weak Field Studies on Claims to Social Justice in Bihar & Orissa Amrita M Patel Manish K. Jha 2007 June 2007 Report on Social Justice - I Published by: Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group GC-45, Sector - III, First Floor Salt Lake City Kolkata - 700 106 India Web: http://www.mcrg.ac.in Printed by: Timir Printing Works Pvt. Ltd. 43, Beniapukur Lane Kolkata - 700 014 This publication is a part of a research and dialogue programme on “Social Justice discourse in India”. The support of the Ford Foundation is kindly acknowledged. 2 [With the publication of this issue of Policies and Practices (No. 13) we begin a series of short status reports on social justice in India. These reports use a variety of methods – ethnographic, legal analysis, historical, case study, etc. With the publication of this series, readers of Policies and Practices will hopefully get a varied yet comprehensive scenario of social injustice as it obtains in different parts of the country now. Readers will also see, as in this report, how primarily in the context of injustice (as perceived) the cry for justice originates, and the blindness of injustice makes the claim for justice visible. These reports will also show, how distinct from the philosophical and quasi-philosophical explanations of justice, concrete historical and political situations can give rise to equally specific ideas of justice. Readers will also see in some of the reports the constant effort of law to fully measure up to the standards or tests of justice. They will see how the tests of justice are defined in a range of ways as specified by contextual circumstances. Forms of justice vary also, often depending on different legal sensibilities. Finally, and probably this is the most significant aspect of the series, is the realisation that the demand for justice has to do above all with the dynamics of power. Situations of marginality produce incipient demands for justice. – Ed.] 3 Contents Globalisation, Patriarchal Development, and the Protesting Voices in Orissa Amrita M Patel 5 Gulamiya Ab Hum Nahi Bajeibo: Peoples’ Expressions for Justice in Jehanabad Manish K. Jha 32 4 Globalisation, Patriarchal Development, and The Protesting Voices in Orissa Amrita M Patel Alia Majhi (A Woman Activist) - “You Collector, you Government, you Tahasildar, Have you given us this land, this forest and the treasure under the earth ? We have got this gift of the nature and have been enjoying for thousands of years since our forefathers. Who are you to snatch away these from us? We will not allow and fight to save our mother land till death.” Orissa: A Statistical Overview Orissa, one of the states of the Indian republic, occupies 4.74% of the country’s landmass and houses 3.58% of the country’s population spread over 30 Districts and 51349 villages. The population of the State is 3.68 crores. It supports one of the largest adivasi populations of India. According to the 2001 census, about 1.42 crores indigenous people (SCs and STs) account for 38.40% of Orissa's total population, and 12% of India's total adivasi population1. The sex ratio of the state is 972, higher than the national 933 but it has declined by 65 points in the last 10 decades. The Sex ratio among the SCs & STs is however encouraging. As per 2001 census, the Sex ratio of the SC & ST population stands at 979 & 1003 respectively. There is wide district variation of sex ratio with 7 districts with high tribal population having more than 1000, according to the 2001 Census. The child sex ratio (0 – 6 years) of 950 in 2001 has registered a decline of 17 points over the 1991 data. In rural segment, the decline has been of 15 points; but in the urban segment, the decline has been higher; of 22 points. A striking feature of Orissa’s social structure is that it has a very substantial proportion of ST/SC population at the base, a very restricted elite at the apex of society superimposed above a highly fragmented caste structure in the middle. One of the central paradoxes of Orissa is that the tribal population is a defining feature of the state but the political and economic relations are not defined by them. Poverty is the most intractable problem of the State. Orissa is the poorest amongst the states with 47.15% people Below Poverty Line as per the 1999-2000 estimates of the Planning Commission. The rural poverty is 48.01% while that in the urban it is 42.83%.2 There has been a steady decline in the poverty ratio in Orissa between 1977-78 and 1993-94. Subsequently, poverty ratio has remained almost stagnant.3 There is regional variation, with the decline of poverty having occurred only in the coastal region of the state while it has increased in the southern and 5 northern regions. The State Government has constituted a Poverty Task Force to contain and subsequently eradicate poverty by adopting different policy measures4. Poverty and human development indicators, Orissa vs all-India 9 0 12 0 % /1,000 liv e b irth s 8 0 100 7 0 6 0 8 0 5 0 6 0 4 0 3 0 4 0 2 0 2 0 10 0 0 T o ta l R u ra l U rb a n S T S C T o ta l R u ra l U rb a n S T S C T o ta l R u ra l U rb a n Poverty L itera c y IM R (rh s ) O ris s a In d ia O ris s a In d ia O ris s a In d ia Sources: Economic Survey 2002-03, de Haan & Dubey 2004, Orissa HDR 2004, Census of India 2001, indiastat.com The literacy rate of the State shows a gendered divide with 63.8% male literacy in comparison to 50.5% female literacy5. There is considerable regional variation in female literacy rates. There is a 50 point differential between the highest (Khurda – 71.06) and the lowest district (Nabarangapur – 21.02) level female literacy rates. The occupational classification shows that total workers in the State constitute 38.7% of the total population and out of which cultivators account to 35.8% of the main workers with 21.9% being agriculture labourers. Agriculture continue to be the main stay of the State economy with the contribution of 25.78% to NSDP (2004-05).6 In the state, 37.3% of the land is designated forest area and 37.2% of the land is the net area sown ( 5796 thousand hectares ). Under the category of ‘land put to non agricultural use’ there has been an increase from 746 thousand hectares in 1990 to 999 thousand hectares in 2004. Similarly ‘barren and unculturable land’ has also increased from 499 to 843 thousand hectares during the same period. The increase in the above two categories of land use has resulted in the decline in the ‘net area sown’ and ‘permanent pastures’.7 6 Non agricultural and barren land ( thousand hect ) 1200 1000 800 Land put to non agricultural use 600 Barren and unculturable land 400 200 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Source - Economic Survey of Orissa, 2005-06 There has been records of forest area being diverted to non forest use in the state. In the years since 2000, a total of 94 projects have been allotted forest area of 6207.08 hectares. Forest area diverted to non forest use in Orissa Year Number of projects Area diverted to non forest use ( in Hect ) 2000-01 27 1219.06 2001-02 20 1711.74 2002-03 15 508.18 2003-04 23 1493.71 2004-05 9 1274.39 TOTAL 94 6207.08 Source- Economic Survey, 2005 – 06 As much as 50% of the total operated area of land falls under marginal and small category. In terms of operational holdings, 54% are marginal land holdings.8 Paddy is the major cereal crop of the State constituting 96.25% of the total food grain production. During 2004-05 rice production reached 6704 lakh tons. The net irrigation potential created by 2004-05 from all sources is 26.96 lakh hectares only which is about 46% of the estimated irrigable area of the State. Area under different operational holdings ( hect ) in Orissa during 1995 – 96 Marginal Small Semi medium Medium Large Total < 1 hect 1 - 2 hect 2 - 4 hect 4- 10 hect > 10 hect 10,64,074 15,21,681 14,51,254 8,64,336 2,42,521 51,43,866 20.7% 29.6% 28.2% 16.8% 4.7% 100% Source – Economic Survey, 2005 – 06, pp Anx 22 & 23 7 Number of different categories of operational holdings in Orissa during 1995 - 95 Marginal Small Semi medium Medium Large Total < 1 hect 1 - 2 hect 2 - 4 hect 4- 10 hect > 10 hect 21,45,245 11,06,337 5,43,791 1,55,921 15,195 39,66,489 54.1% 27.9% 13.7% 3.9% 0.4% 100% Source – Economic Survey, 2004 – 05,pp Anx 24 & 25 Distribution of holdings among different social groups (in thousands) General SC ST and others TOTAL Marginal 373 587 1185 2145 Small 122 354 630 1106 Semi Medium 43 181 320 544 Medium 7 51 98 156 Large 1 5 9 15 Source – Economic Survey, 2004 – 05,pp 4/24 A Gendered Perception Favourable sex ratio (more than 1000) indicates that female survival is not hampered and that the conditions are conducive for the overall growth and longevity of the girl child leading to womanhood.